For those that forgot, the United States was drawn into the "Group of Death" with Germany, Ghana, and Portugal. As I said in that post, Building The 23 for the USMNT is similar to what I do with Building The 53 for the Green Bay Packers, Building The 25 for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Building The 15 for the Milwaukee Bucks. I gave my first and second looks at the 23
players I thought USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann would take to the 2014
World Cup in Brazil. Yesterday, Klinsman named his provisional 30-man roster that will have to be trimmed to 23 by June 2nd.
Traditionally the breakdown of The 23 is 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8
midfielders, and 4 strikers. Besides goalkeeper, some of the players
drawn into defense or up front could also slide into the midfielder so
those are not hard and fast numbers. Here are my updated thoughts about the players Klinsmann should select for The 23.
Goalkeepers on 30-man & 23-man (3): Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Nick Rimando.
Starter: Tim Howard
Analysis: Absent an injury to one of the three goalkeepers, the USMNT is all set at goalkeeper.
Defenders on 30-man (11): DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John
Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Timmy Chandler, Brad
Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Clarence Goodson, Fabian Johnson, Michael Parkhurst, and DeAndre Yedlin
Defenders on 23-man (8): DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Timmy Chandler, Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, and Fabian Johnson
Dropped (1): Clarence Goodson
Added (1): Timmy Chandler
Starters: DaMarcus Beasley (LB), Matt Besler (CB), Geoff Cameron (CB), and Fabian Johnson (RB)
Analysis: The USMNT has a ton of quality options across the back four. I am not as worried about the outside backs because those spots seem borderline interchangeable but I am starting to worry about the two central defender spots because continuity is key. Thus Klinsman needs to settle on a healthy pairing soon to give them time to build the chemistry necessary to man what could be the the two most important positions on the pitch for the USMNT at the 2014 World Cup.
Midfielders on 30-man (10): Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael
Bradley, Joe Corona, Brad Davis, Mix
Diskerud, Maurice Edu, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, and Graham Zusi
Midfielders on 23-man (8): Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, and Graham Zusi
Dropped (1): Landon Donovan* (previously treated as midfielder but now treated as forward
Added (1): Alejandro Bedoya
Starters: Brad Davis (LM), Kyle Beckerman (CM), Michael Bradley (CM), and Graham Zusi (RW)
Analysis: I started Beckerman over Jones despite Klinsman's affinity for Jones because that gives Klinsman the option to field two proper wingers. Zusi deserves to start on the right side, which left the winger spot open. I decided to give Davis the spot but the left winger spot is probably the least settled in the starting eleven so look for Klinsman to try a number of players in that spot, including possibly moving Beasley up from left back, Klinsman can find a suitable replacement for Beasley at left back.
Forwards on 30-man (6): Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Clint
Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Aron
Johannsson, and Chris Wondolowski
Forwards on 23-man (4): Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Aaron Johnannson
Dropped (1): Chris Wondolowski
Added (1): Landon Donovan* (previously treated as midfielder)
Starters: Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey
Analysis: Eddie Johnson's goal against Mexico last September was the goal that secured the USMNT's spot in the 2014 World Cup. For the third World Cup in a row the player that scored the goal to clinch the USMNT's spot in the World Cup (Steve Ralston against Mexico in September of 2005 and Conor Casey at Honduras in October of 2009) will not be on The 23 at the World Cup for the United States. With Johnson no longer in the running for a spot on The 23 that leaves six guys fighting for four spots. Interestingly Donovan is characterized as a forward instead of a midfielder. The fourth striker
spot likely comes down to Donovan and Wondolowski given that Altidore, Dempsey, and Johannson look like locks. Since Donovan is the most successful player in USMNT history, I would give him the spot ahead of Wondolowski but it only matters what Klinsman and his assistants think come early June.
The USMNT play three exhibition games as they prepare for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The USMNT's first match is against Azerbaijan at San
Francisco's Candlestick Park on May 27nd followed by a match against Turkey at Red Bull Arena in
Harrison, N.J. on June 1st and finally a match against Nigeria at EverBank Field in
Jacksonville, Fla. on June 7th. Klinsman must submit his final 23-man roster following the USMNT's match against Turkey, at the latest. Make sure to check back following that announcement by Klinsman for my initial thoughts on The 23.
Showing posts with label 2014 World Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2014 World Cup. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Building The 23 - USMNT 2.0 for 2014 World Cup
Yesterday the United States Men's National Team tied Mexico 2-2 in a friendly played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The USMNT jumped out to a 2-0 lead as cheers of Dos a Cero Chants rang through the stadium. Unfortunately the USMNT sputtered in second half conceding two goals so it ended up being Dos a Dos.
Although the United States and Mexico are bitter CONCACAF rivals, ultimately the scoreline is meaningless given that it is only a friendly and thus simply a means to help prepare for the 2014 World Cup. This match could carry much more symbolic significance though. Landon Donovan and Julian Green both got subbed into the match in the second half at the same time. Donovan will likely go down as the most successful USMNT player of all-time while the 18-year old Green has limitless potential that could make him the next Donovan for the USMNT. The USMNT are lucky to have Green in the fold given that he had the choice to play for Germany or the United States and choose the United States. Since Green plays for Bayern Munich's youth team it was a bit of a surprise that he choose the United States since Green choose the United States, he has a much better chance to go to the 2014 World Cup. If Green choose Germany he would have no chance of going to the 2014 World Cup and an outside chance of appearing for Germany in the 2016 European Championship.
I gave my first look at the 23 players I thought USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann would take to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil the day after the United States was drawn into the "Group of Death" with Germany, Ghana, and Portugal. As I said in that post, Building The 23 for the USMNT is similar to what I do with Building The 53 for the Green Bay Packers, Building The 25 for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Building The 15 for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Just to reiterate, the breakdown of The 23 is usually 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders, and 4 strikers. Besides goalkeeper, some of the players drawn into defense or up front could also slide into the midfielder so those are not hard and fast numbers. Here are my updated thoughts about the players Klinsmann should select for The 23.
Goalkeepers (3): Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Nick Rimando.
Starter: Tim Howard
Analysis: This is the most solid spot on the entire squad. Guzan would start for at least half of the countries in the World Cup but absent injury will have to serve as Howard's understudy.
Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Clarence Goodson, and Fabian Johnson
Dropped (1): Steve Cherundolo
Added (1): Fabian Johnson* (treated as midfielder last time)
Starters: DaMarcus Beasley (LB), Matt Besler (CB), Geoff Cameron (CB), Fabian Johnson (RB)
Analysis: Unfortunately Cherundolo is just not fit enough to play in the 2014 World Cup, which opens up the right back spot for the first time in essentially a decade. Besler was a revelation a year ago but his star has faded slightly but the lack of depth at central defender for the United States, I still see Besler as a virtual lock for the starting lineup. That leaves seven guys fighting for three spots. I honestly could see almost any of those seven starting across the back for the USMNT, so it will be interesting to see what there can separate themselves from the group.
Midfielders (8): Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Landon Donovan, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, and Graham Zusi
Dropped (2): Fabian Johnson* (treated as a midfielder last time but moved to defender this time) and Brek Shea
Added (2): Brad Davis and Julian Green
Starters: Kyle Beckerman (DM), Michael Bradley (CM), Jermaine Jones (CM), Graham Zusi (LW/RW)
Analysis: The USMNT is in a unique spot because Beckerman and Jones look to be redundant central midfielders that can allow Bradley to push forward. Given Klinsman's affinity for Jones, I could see him playing all three as central midfielders since he likes to see his outside defenders push forward. That leaves Zusi as the only true winger unless the other midfielders that I currently have on the bench can separate from the pack.
Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aaron Johnannson, and Chris Wondolowski
Dropped (1): Eddie Johnson
Added (1): Chris Wondolowski
Starters: Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey
Analysis: It will be interesting to watch the competition for the fourth striker spot given that Altidore, Dempsey, and Johannson look like locks. Over the last two years Wondolowski has scored some important goals for the United States, which is why I added Wondolowski instead of Johnson.
Klinsman will announce his provisional 30-man squad in mid-May. Those 30 players will participate in a two week training session that includes a couple exhibition matches before Klinsman must winnow his roster down to The 23 by June 2nd. Make sure to check back in mid-May for my thoughts on Klinsman's provisional 30-man squad.
Although the United States and Mexico are bitter CONCACAF rivals, ultimately the scoreline is meaningless given that it is only a friendly and thus simply a means to help prepare for the 2014 World Cup. This match could carry much more symbolic significance though. Landon Donovan and Julian Green both got subbed into the match in the second half at the same time. Donovan will likely go down as the most successful USMNT player of all-time while the 18-year old Green has limitless potential that could make him the next Donovan for the USMNT. The USMNT are lucky to have Green in the fold given that he had the choice to play for Germany or the United States and choose the United States. Since Green plays for Bayern Munich's youth team it was a bit of a surprise that he choose the United States since Green choose the United States, he has a much better chance to go to the 2014 World Cup. If Green choose Germany he would have no chance of going to the 2014 World Cup and an outside chance of appearing for Germany in the 2016 European Championship.
I gave my first look at the 23 players I thought USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann would take to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil the day after the United States was drawn into the "Group of Death" with Germany, Ghana, and Portugal. As I said in that post, Building The 23 for the USMNT is similar to what I do with Building The 53 for the Green Bay Packers, Building The 25 for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Building The 15 for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Just to reiterate, the breakdown of The 23 is usually 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders, and 4 strikers. Besides goalkeeper, some of the players drawn into defense or up front could also slide into the midfielder so those are not hard and fast numbers. Here are my updated thoughts about the players Klinsmann should select for The 23.
Goalkeepers (3): Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Nick Rimando.
Starter: Tim Howard
Analysis: This is the most solid spot on the entire squad. Guzan would start for at least half of the countries in the World Cup but absent injury will have to serve as Howard's understudy.
Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Clarence Goodson, and Fabian Johnson
Dropped (1): Steve Cherundolo
Added (1): Fabian Johnson* (treated as midfielder last time)
Starters: DaMarcus Beasley (LB), Matt Besler (CB), Geoff Cameron (CB), Fabian Johnson (RB)
Analysis: Unfortunately Cherundolo is just not fit enough to play in the 2014 World Cup, which opens up the right back spot for the first time in essentially a decade. Besler was a revelation a year ago but his star has faded slightly but the lack of depth at central defender for the United States, I still see Besler as a virtual lock for the starting lineup. That leaves seven guys fighting for three spots. I honestly could see almost any of those seven starting across the back for the USMNT, so it will be interesting to see what there can separate themselves from the group.
Midfielders (8): Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Landon Donovan, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, and Graham Zusi
Dropped (2): Fabian Johnson* (treated as a midfielder last time but moved to defender this time) and Brek Shea
Added (2): Brad Davis and Julian Green
Starters: Kyle Beckerman (DM), Michael Bradley (CM), Jermaine Jones (CM), Graham Zusi (LW/RW)
Analysis: The USMNT is in a unique spot because Beckerman and Jones look to be redundant central midfielders that can allow Bradley to push forward. Given Klinsman's affinity for Jones, I could see him playing all three as central midfielders since he likes to see his outside defenders push forward. That leaves Zusi as the only true winger unless the other midfielders that I currently have on the bench can separate from the pack.
Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aaron Johnannson, and Chris Wondolowski
Dropped (1): Eddie Johnson
Added (1): Chris Wondolowski
Starters: Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey
Analysis: It will be interesting to watch the competition for the fourth striker spot given that Altidore, Dempsey, and Johannson look like locks. Over the last two years Wondolowski has scored some important goals for the United States, which is why I added Wondolowski instead of Johnson.
Klinsman will announce his provisional 30-man squad in mid-May. Those 30 players will participate in a two week training session that includes a couple exhibition matches before Klinsman must winnow his roster down to The 23 by June 2nd. Make sure to check back in mid-May for my thoughts on Klinsman's provisional 30-man squad.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Building The 23 - USMNT 1.0 for 2014 World Cup
The United States Men's National Team manager Jurgen Klinsmann can take 23 players to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Yesterday I covered the United States being drawn into the toughest group in the 2014 World Cup with Germany, Ghana, and Portugal. Much like I do with Building The 53 for the Green Bay Packers, Building The 25 for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Building The 15 for the Milwaukee Bucks...I am about to do the same for the United States with Building The 23. Without further adu, let's turn our attention to speculating on the 23 guys Klinsmann should take to Brazil.
Traditionally the breakdown of The 23 is 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders, and 4 strikers. Besides goalkeeper, some of the players drawn into defense or up front could also slide into the midfielder so those are not hard and fast numbers. Here are my initial thoughts about the players Klinsmann should select for The 23.
Goalkeeper (3): Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Nick Rimando.
Starter: Tim Howard
Analysis: Luckily Klinsmann has the benefit of having two legitimate starting goalkeepers in Howard and Guzan. I think it is highly unlikely to happen but I wonder what Guzan would have to do to unseat Howard.
Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Steve Cherundolo, Brad Evans, Clarence Goodson, and Omar Gonzalez.
Starters: DaMarcus Beasley (LB), Matt Besler (CB), Omar Gonzalez (CB), Steve Cherundolo (RB)
Analysis: After Cherundolo held down the starting right back spot for essentially the last decade, injuries have hampered his form in 2013. Given there are six more months until the 2014 World Cup, I see Cherundolo doing everything humanly possible to be in form by the start of the 2014 World Cup.
Midfield (8): Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Mix Diskerud, Landon Donovan, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Brek Shea, and Graham Zusi.
Starters: Landon Donovan (LW), Michael Bradley (CM), Jermaine Jones (CM), Graham Zusi (RW)
Analysis: Absent injuries, Bradley and Donovan are locks to start in Brazil. That leaves two spots: one in central midfield and one at outside midfielder. Unfortunately, I see those two spots changing a dozen times in the next six months.
Striker (4): Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aron Johnannson, and Eddie Johnson.
Starters: Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey
Analysis: There was never any question about Altidore's physical abilities but going into 2013 he still had not found a way to turn that promise into actual production scoring goals for the national team. Given that Jozy Altidore has been in rare form scoring almost every time our for the national team, he deserves to be in the starting XL in Brazil. If Klinsmann deploys Dempsey and Donovan in the midfielder, I could actually see Johnson getting a start up front next to Altidore.
Shifting gears from the futbol to football. Make sure to check back on Monday for my thoughts on the Green Bay Packers make-or-break game at home against the Atlanta Falcons sans starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the sixth straight game. Without Rodgers the Packers have gone 0-4-1 so even though the Falcons are one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. Let's not forget that they went to the NFC Championship Game last season so a win is far from guaranteed for the Packers. If the Packers win, their slim playoff hopes stay alive. If the Packers lose, all the coverage of them in this space will shift towards building for 2014.
Traditionally the breakdown of The 23 is 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders, and 4 strikers. Besides goalkeeper, some of the players drawn into defense or up front could also slide into the midfielder so those are not hard and fast numbers. Here are my initial thoughts about the players Klinsmann should select for The 23.
Goalkeeper (3): Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Nick Rimando.
Starter: Tim Howard
Analysis: Luckily Klinsmann has the benefit of having two legitimate starting goalkeepers in Howard and Guzan. I think it is highly unlikely to happen but I wonder what Guzan would have to do to unseat Howard.
Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Steve Cherundolo, Brad Evans, Clarence Goodson, and Omar Gonzalez.
Starters: DaMarcus Beasley (LB), Matt Besler (CB), Omar Gonzalez (CB), Steve Cherundolo (RB)
Analysis: After Cherundolo held down the starting right back spot for essentially the last decade, injuries have hampered his form in 2013. Given there are six more months until the 2014 World Cup, I see Cherundolo doing everything humanly possible to be in form by the start of the 2014 World Cup.
Midfield (8): Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Mix Diskerud, Landon Donovan, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Brek Shea, and Graham Zusi.
Starters: Landon Donovan (LW), Michael Bradley (CM), Jermaine Jones (CM), Graham Zusi (RW)
Analysis: Absent injuries, Bradley and Donovan are locks to start in Brazil. That leaves two spots: one in central midfield and one at outside midfielder. Unfortunately, I see those two spots changing a dozen times in the next six months.
Striker (4): Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aron Johnannson, and Eddie Johnson.
Starters: Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey
Analysis: There was never any question about Altidore's physical abilities but going into 2013 he still had not found a way to turn that promise into actual production scoring goals for the national team. Given that Jozy Altidore has been in rare form scoring almost every time our for the national team, he deserves to be in the starting XL in Brazil. If Klinsmann deploys Dempsey and Donovan in the midfielder, I could actually see Johnson getting a start up front next to Altidore.
Shifting gears from the futbol to football. Make sure to check back on Monday for my thoughts on the Green Bay Packers make-or-break game at home against the Atlanta Falcons sans starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the sixth straight game. Without Rodgers the Packers have gone 0-4-1 so even though the Falcons are one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. Let's not forget that they went to the NFC Championship Game last season so a win is far from guaranteed for the Packers. If the Packers win, their slim playoff hopes stay alive. If the Packers lose, all the coverage of them in this space will shift towards building for 2014.
Howard
F. Johnson (Parkhurst, 46)
Goodson
Gonzalez
Beasley
Jones
Beckerman
Bedoya (Zusi, 84)
Dempsey (c)
Donovan-1
E. Johnson (Diskerud, 76) - See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/us-men/lineups/2013-lineups.aspx#sthash.OaFxfIMe.dpuf
F. Johnson (Parkhurst, 46)
Goodson
Gonzalez
Beasley
Jones
Beckerman
Bedoya (Zusi, 84)
Dempsey (c)
Donovan-1
E. Johnson (Diskerud, 76) - See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/us-men/lineups/2013-lineups.aspx#sthash.OaFxfIMe.dpuf
Howard
F. Johnson (Parkhurst, 46)
Goodson
Gonzalez
Beasley
Jones
Beckerman
Bedoya (Zusi, 84)
Dempsey (c)
Donovan-1
E. Johnson (Diskerud, 76) - See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/us-men/lineups/2013-lineups.aspx#sthash.OaFxfIMe.d
F. Johnson (Parkhurst, 46)
Goodson
Gonzalez
Beasley
Jones
Beckerman
Bedoya (Zusi, 84)
Dempsey (c)
Donovan-1
E. Johnson (Diskerud, 76) - See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/us-men/lineups/2013-lineups.aspx#sthash.OaFxfIMe.d
Altidore, Jozy
Altidore, Jozy
Altidore, Jozy
Altidore, Jozy
Friday, December 6, 2013
2014 World Cup Draw for United States
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil starts on Thursday, June 12, 2014. Earlier today FIFA choose the eight groups for the 32 participants with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the knock-out stages. The first hour of the "selection show" was downright brutal to watch. I know it is supposed to give the host country a chance to educate the world about them but having recently visited Brazil, I would say they completely missed the mark.
FIFA creates four pots and then picks the eight groups out of those four pots. It is confusing so here is a nice breakdown. Unfortunately for the United States, FIFA placed all the CONCACAF teams in the same pot as the Asian teams, which makes that pot by far the weakest pot.
Going into the selections, I decided to develop some power rankings for each group. Just to make these rankings crystal clear, the first team in each pot is the team I would least like the United States to be drawn against, so on and so forth. It is sort of academic for Pot Three since the United States cannot be drawn with any of those teams but I thought it would be a nice way for me to rank the teams as they are currently constituted. I put each country's current FIFA ranking in parenthesis, which were updated on November 28, 2013. Here are the four pots with my ranking (best to worst) within each pot:
Pot One: Spain (1), Brazil (10), Argentina (3), Germany (2), Uruguay (6), Belgium (11), Colombia (4), and Switzerland (8)
Pot Two: Ivory Coast (17), Chile (15), Ghana (24), Algeria (26), Ecuador (23), Nigeria (36), and Cameroon (51)
Pot Three: United States (14), Mexico (20), Costa Rica (31), Honduras (41), South Korea (54), Japan (48), Iran (45), and Australia (59)
Pot Four: Netherlands (9), Portugal (5), Italy (7), Croatia (16), France (19), Greece (12), England (13), Russia (22), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (21)
The highest FIFA ranked country that did not qualify for the 2014 World Cup was the Ukraine, which are currently ranked 18th. I understand that only so many teams can qualify from certain continents but it makes no sense to me that Ukraine lost a home-and-home playoff to France for a spot in the World Cup but are still somehow ranked ahead of France in the FIFA rankings.
Here is explanation of the rankings. I get that the FIFA rankings account for more things that just World Cup qualification but the lunacy of France being ranked behind the Ukraine despite knocking them off to get into the 2014 World Cup is just one of the million problems I have with the FIFA rankings. Since FIFA could care less about cracking down on match fixing or the fact that they awarded the next two World Cups to corrupt countries, they could at least carve out an exception to their rules for their rankings that account for oddities like the one just highlighted.
Sorry for the FIFA rankings detour, back to the draw for World Cup 2014. Those that counted the teams in each of the pots above will notice that only seven teams are in Pot Two and nine teams are in Pot Four. FIFA had to randomly draw one of those teams into Pot Two. There are some restrictions for how the team that is moved to Pot Two can be drawn based on how teams are drawn from Pot One. Basically FIFA did not want to see two European teams drawn into one group out of Pot One and Pot Two because that would mean a third European team would be drawn into that group from Pot Four. As it turns out Italy, which was the team that I ranked third in Pot Four, got drawn into Pot Two.
Going into the draw I thought the best possible draw for the United States was Switzerland, Cameroon, and Bosnia-Herzegovina while the worst draw was Argentina, Portugal, and Netherlands. Again groups matter because only the top two teams from each group qualify for the knock-out stage. Here is the full list of the groups for the 2014 World Cup:
Group A: Brazil, Cameroon, Mexico, and Croatia.
Group B: Spain, Chile, Australia, and Netherlands.
Group C: Colombia, Ivory Coast, Japan, and Greece.
Group D: Uruguay, Italy, Costa Rica, and England.
Group E: Switzerland, Honduras, Ecuador, and France.
Group F: Argentina, Nigeria, Iran, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Group G: Germany, Ghana, United States, and Portugal.
Group H: Belgium, Korean Republic, Algeria, and Russia.
As it turns out the United States got just as bad of a draw as my worst case scenario landing in Group G with Germany, Ghana, and Portugal. It also means that United States manager Jurgen Klinsman will coach against his home country in the group stages. Just to show how strong the members of Group G are, all four teams made it to the knockout round of the 2010 World Cup. The only other group to even have three members make the knockout round of the 2010 World Cup was Spain, Chile, and Netherlands from Group B.
The lowest ranked team in Group G according to the FIFA rankings is Ghana at 24. United States fans know that Ghana are no pushovers either because they knocked the United States out of the last two world World Cups (final group stage match in 2006 and in the Round of 16 in 2010).
As you can see, it would be no small feat for the United States to be one of the two qualifiers for the knockout stage out of Group G. The first match of the 2014 World Cup for the United States is against Ghana. Hopefully the United States will be able to avenge their last two World Cup defeats to Ghana with a win, which would mean they would most likely only need a win or tie against Portugal or Germany to reach the Round of 16.
We have over six months to speculate and let's not forget injuries play a big part in what groups actually end up being the toughest right now I would say Group G is the deepest group. The United States were drawn into Group B or Group D then that could have been the toughest group in the 2014 World Cup. I see Group E or H as the easiest.
Although this is a Cheesehead sports blog if you follow the United States Men's Soccer Team or the World Cup make sure to check back as the 2014 World Cup nears because I plan to write Building The 23 posts leading up to the World Cup and The 23 posts throughout the World Cup.
FIFA creates four pots and then picks the eight groups out of those four pots. It is confusing so here is a nice breakdown. Unfortunately for the United States, FIFA placed all the CONCACAF teams in the same pot as the Asian teams, which makes that pot by far the weakest pot.
Going into the selections, I decided to develop some power rankings for each group. Just to make these rankings crystal clear, the first team in each pot is the team I would least like the United States to be drawn against, so on and so forth. It is sort of academic for Pot Three since the United States cannot be drawn with any of those teams but I thought it would be a nice way for me to rank the teams as they are currently constituted. I put each country's current FIFA ranking in parenthesis, which were updated on November 28, 2013. Here are the four pots with my ranking (best to worst) within each pot:
Pot One: Spain (1), Brazil (10), Argentina (3), Germany (2), Uruguay (6), Belgium (11), Colombia (4), and Switzerland (8)
Pot Two: Ivory Coast (17), Chile (15), Ghana (24), Algeria (26), Ecuador (23), Nigeria (36), and Cameroon (51)
Pot Three: United States (14), Mexico (20), Costa Rica (31), Honduras (41), South Korea (54), Japan (48), Iran (45), and Australia (59)
Pot Four: Netherlands (9), Portugal (5), Italy (7), Croatia (16), France (19), Greece (12), England (13), Russia (22), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (21)
The highest FIFA ranked country that did not qualify for the 2014 World Cup was the Ukraine, which are currently ranked 18th. I understand that only so many teams can qualify from certain continents but it makes no sense to me that Ukraine lost a home-and-home playoff to France for a spot in the World Cup but are still somehow ranked ahead of France in the FIFA rankings.
Here is explanation of the rankings. I get that the FIFA rankings account for more things that just World Cup qualification but the lunacy of France being ranked behind the Ukraine despite knocking them off to get into the 2014 World Cup is just one of the million problems I have with the FIFA rankings. Since FIFA could care less about cracking down on match fixing or the fact that they awarded the next two World Cups to corrupt countries, they could at least carve out an exception to their rules for their rankings that account for oddities like the one just highlighted.
Sorry for the FIFA rankings detour, back to the draw for World Cup 2014. Those that counted the teams in each of the pots above will notice that only seven teams are in Pot Two and nine teams are in Pot Four. FIFA had to randomly draw one of those teams into Pot Two. There are some restrictions for how the team that is moved to Pot Two can be drawn based on how teams are drawn from Pot One. Basically FIFA did not want to see two European teams drawn into one group out of Pot One and Pot Two because that would mean a third European team would be drawn into that group from Pot Four. As it turns out Italy, which was the team that I ranked third in Pot Four, got drawn into Pot Two.
Going into the draw I thought the best possible draw for the United States was Switzerland, Cameroon, and Bosnia-Herzegovina while the worst draw was Argentina, Portugal, and Netherlands. Again groups matter because only the top two teams from each group qualify for the knock-out stage. Here is the full list of the groups for the 2014 World Cup:
Group A: Brazil, Cameroon, Mexico, and Croatia.
Group B: Spain, Chile, Australia, and Netherlands.
Group C: Colombia, Ivory Coast, Japan, and Greece.
Group D: Uruguay, Italy, Costa Rica, and England.
Group E: Switzerland, Honduras, Ecuador, and France.
Group F: Argentina, Nigeria, Iran, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Group G: Germany, Ghana, United States, and Portugal.
Group H: Belgium, Korean Republic, Algeria, and Russia.
As it turns out the United States got just as bad of a draw as my worst case scenario landing in Group G with Germany, Ghana, and Portugal. It also means that United States manager Jurgen Klinsman will coach against his home country in the group stages. Just to show how strong the members of Group G are, all four teams made it to the knockout round of the 2010 World Cup. The only other group to even have three members make the knockout round of the 2010 World Cup was Spain, Chile, and Netherlands from Group B.
The lowest ranked team in Group G according to the FIFA rankings is Ghana at 24. United States fans know that Ghana are no pushovers either because they knocked the United States out of the last two world World Cups (final group stage match in 2006 and in the Round of 16 in 2010).
As you can see, it would be no small feat for the United States to be one of the two qualifiers for the knockout stage out of Group G. The first match of the 2014 World Cup for the United States is against Ghana. Hopefully the United States will be able to avenge their last two World Cup defeats to Ghana with a win, which would mean they would most likely only need a win or tie against Portugal or Germany to reach the Round of 16.
We have over six months to speculate and let's not forget injuries play a big part in what groups actually end up being the toughest right now I would say Group G is the deepest group. The United States were drawn into Group B or Group D then that could have been the toughest group in the 2014 World Cup. I see Group E or H as the easiest.
Although this is a Cheesehead sports blog if you follow the United States Men's Soccer Team or the World Cup make sure to check back as the 2014 World Cup nears because I plan to write Building The 23 posts leading up to the World Cup and The 23 posts throughout the World Cup.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
United States Wins 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Ryan Braun's ban by Major League Baseball for the rest of the season (presumably) for the use of performance enhancing drugs has been dissected from almost every angle so I decided to cover a non-Cheesehead sports team, the United States Men's Soccer Team.
The US was on a five game winning streak heading into the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup to make them a virtual lock to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Despite fielding a weaker squad than their World Cup qualifying squad, the US picked up right where they left off winning five more matches in a row to start the Gold Cup to reach the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at Soldier Field against Panama.
I tried to talk Cheesehead Chick and my buddies (Uncle Patty and Sug) into attending the match but I got no takers so I picked up a singleton in the south end of the stadium on StubHub. As you can tell from the title, the US won. Since I attended the match alone, I sent a number of tweets that I am going to use as my de facto review of the match:
If you enjoyed reading some soccer content on this predominately Cheesehead sports blog makes sure to check back later in August as I write my review of the off-season for Manchester City and preview their 2013-14 season.
Congrats to the United States men's soccer team on winning their fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup and good luck in the next round of World Cup qualifiers in September.
The US was on a five game winning streak heading into the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup to make them a virtual lock to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Despite fielding a weaker squad than their World Cup qualifying squad, the US picked up right where they left off winning five more matches in a row to start the Gold Cup to reach the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at Soldier Field against Panama.
I tried to talk Cheesehead Chick and my buddies (Uncle Patty and Sug) into attending the match but I got no takers so I picked up a singleton in the south end of the stadium on StubHub. As you can tell from the title, the US won. Since I attended the match alone, I sent a number of tweets that I am going to use as my de facto review of the match:
Nothing says patriotism like seeing #USMNT solo in the Gold Cup Final v. #Panama. Pre-game prediction, US wins 3-0. pic.twitter.com/cKNMgXHcPU
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
Sitting on other side of pitch from where Papa Cheese & I saw Klinsmann bag the winner for Germany to beat Bolivia to open 1990 World Cup.
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
Love seeing Beasley as captain. Fine with starting 11 for #USMNT but bummed to see Gonzalez, Shea, and Wondo couldn't make the cut.
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
'19th minute couple decent chances for #USMNT, should have more though given their dominance of possession
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
Holden substituted for injury again, the injury nightmares continue for him. Let's see what Diskerud can do. #USMNT
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
HT with score 0-0 feels about right. If possession equaled goals, #USMNT should be up 1/2 to 0 but not enough quality chances to be up more.
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
Gonna be tough for #USMNT to win 3-0 given how much #Panama is packing it in, US better watch out for counterattack in 2nd half.
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
Might be worth replacing Corona or Bedoya with Shea or move Donovan to one of their spots to get Wondo in the mix. #USMNT
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
Too far away to tell but crowd's reaction makes me think that was a handball in the box for a PK. #USMNT
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
'56 - felt like '02 with Beasley and Donovan almost combining for a goal. #USMNT
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
'70 - Shea for Corona was a few minutes too late. Love Shea taking Donovan's whiff/goal. #USMNT up 1-0.
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
'72 - best chance all day for #Panama. Could be 1-1 but shot was just wide of the mark. #USMNT
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
'81 - even a decent first touch by Shea from Donovan's pass and there is a primo scoring opportunity for #USMNT
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
84 - Johnson misses a sitter to ice the match should be interesting last few minutes
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
'89 - wasting time by subbing Gonzalez for Bedoya. Looks like my lineup thoughts were spot on. #USMNT
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
'90 - things are getting chippy at the wrong time. Shocked there are at least 4 minutes of stoppage time.
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
A.J. Hawk-style (Business HJ) Gold Cup Championship victory for #USMNT 1-0 over #Panama
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
If Shea has a decent first touch & Johnson bags the sitter, my 3-0 pre-match prediction for #USMNT comes to fruition pic.twitter.com/oHvarfcmiC
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
Donovan deservedly takes home the 2013 Gold Cup MVP, absent injury, shocked if he doesn't crack the starting 11 at 2014 World Cup. #USMNTAs you can tell from my recap, I would not give the US many style points for how they played today. I might even go so far to say this was their worst performance of their 11 game winning streak but a win is a win, especially in the championship game of a even a second tier tournament like the Gold Cup. Plus grinding out wins like the US did today is great experience for the 2014 World Cup.
— CheeseheadSportsNut (@CheeseheadSN) July 28, 2013
If you enjoyed reading some soccer content on this predominately Cheesehead sports blog makes sure to check back later in August as I write my review of the off-season for Manchester City and preview their 2013-14 season.
Congrats to the United States men's soccer team on winning their fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup and good luck in the next round of World Cup qualifiers in September.
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